


running out of time (with your help i'll be fine)

by scully_romanova_of_asshai



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Meet-Cute, POV Kara Danvers, also me - I jinxed the printer at work by writing this, anyway printers hate kara, can you tell I would like a college meetcute of my own yet¿?, if you can't I'm sure there'll be more proof soon don't worry, this will Probably have a part two at some point but you can consider it complete for the time being
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25890451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scully_romanova_of_asshai/pseuds/scully_romanova_of_asshai
Summary: kara is having some printing trouble. she's saved from disaster by a beautiful girl she's never met before.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 18
Kudos: 220





	running out of time (with your help i'll be fine)

**Author's Note:**

> was too lazy to find actual song lyrics for the title bc I Hate finding titles so enjoy some fake song lyrics (and also hopefully enjoy the story)

“I’m too young to die,” Kara mumbles, over and over, under her breath, either a mantra or a prayer. “I’m too young to die. I’m too young to die. I’m too young to die.” She _just_ resists the urge to kick the printer – she thinks it might get angry if she does. That, or just break down into a pile of printer parts, with her luck _(both equally logical worries, obviously)_.

It’s five forty-seven – scratch that, forty-eight – in the morning, Professor Grant is literally going to _kill_ her if she’s not at her office by six sharp, and it takes at least eight minutes and thirty seven seconds to get there from the library on a good day _(kara knows. she’s timed it)_. She can probably cut a couple minutes of that time off if she sprints the whole way, although then she runs an increased risk of slipping on the ice that had formed overnight and falling on her face, which would probably make her even later than if she’d just walked _(and possibly make professor grant close the door in her face upon catching sight of her)_.

At this point, she’s more than willing to take the risk _(she’s not even entirely sure why professor grant decided to have her bring her article to her in person at six in the morning, when she could easily have had her email it over at any time, but you don’t question cat grant – you do what she says. preferably before she even says to do it)_. 

That is, she’d be willing to take the risk if the stupid! printer! ever! started! working!

As though it’s read her mind _(to be fair, she is thinking pretty loud)_ , the printer suddenly releases a slew of promising noises.

And then the noises stop. 

She waits a few moments, hopeful, then leans down to look at the tiny screen. “Out of funds!” she exclaims upon reading what it says, before covering her mouth with a hand and shooting an apologetic glance around the room _(though she only spots one person, who mostly just looks amused) (also gorgeous, but kara obviously doesn’t have the time required to acknowledge that right now)_.

This is fine. She’s _fine_. She has ten minutes to get to Professor Grant’s office and she can _probably_ make it there in six, she’ll just log in on her phone and add a few dollars to her account. It’s fine.

Except it’s _not_ fine when the portal refuses to allow her to log in even after she refreshes it three times. She once again refrains from kicking the printer because it _really_ won’t help her this time, and does the only thing she _can_ do – walks rapidly over to the gorgeous, increasingly amused-looking girl.

She’s clearly been in the library all night, judging by her hair that’s more messy than bun, and the three – no, _four_ – empty coffee cups scattered around the table before her, amongst several open textbooks and notebooks. There’s a smudge of pen on her cheek that Kara wants to wipe away with her thumb, until she realizes she’s wasting precious seconds staring without saying a word _(she still wants to wipe it away after that, but she realizes that we can’t always get what we want. obviously. or the printer would be working) (also it would probably be a bit creepy)_.

Her eyes meet those of the other girl _(are they two different colors?)_ and she gets a shot of courage. Or possibly adrenaline. Maybe just plain old panic. Whatever it is, it starts her talking. “Hi! This is probably weird, I mean I don’t even know you, but I’m kind of in a pickle, because the printer wasn’t working, and then it said I don’t have any money, and now the website won’t let me log in to add more, and I _really_ have to print this article because Professor Grant is expecting me in – ” she glances at her watch and feels the blood drain from her face, “ – eight minutes now, so I was wondering if you would let me use your account to print it? Please?”

Her cheeks are burning by the end of her speech and she’s wincing, anticipating a rejection, but the girl just smiles. “Of course.” _(and of course even her voice is pretty)_.

It takes longer than Kara would like, since she has to restart the printing process to be able to put it under a different account _(though, if she’s honest, it’s almost worth it for the extra time in lena’s presence) (she learns her name when she swipes her id to get the printer running)_. All the same, once Kara has her article in hand _(well, safely tucked in her bag)_ , she finds herself lingering, despite the rapid countdown of the clock.

“I’ll pay you back,” she says.

Lena demurs. “You don’t have to do that.” Kara feels oddly disappointed, though she’s unsure why. “Unless,” Lena continues, and Kara perks back up.

“Yeah?” she prompts, when Lena seems to lose the nerve for whatever she was planning to say.

_“Letmetakeyouout?”_ Lena rushes out, cheeks turning pink in a way that reminds Kara of her wish to wipe the pen smudge off. She stops fighting the urge, leaning forward to do just that as she parses through what Lena just said, frowning in confusion, though Lena bears no witness to it, as her eyes have dropped closed.

Kara stands back, satisfied with her work. “Take me out, like, kill me?”

Lena’s eyes drop back open immediately at that, as does her mouth. She gapes for a moment, a darkness rolling over her expression for the slightest moment before she shakes her head, regaining control of it. “I’m sorry, _kill you_? I meant I’d like to take you out on a _date!_ ”

“Oh,” Kara says. “ _Oh_. I have _no_ idea why I thought that could possibly be what you meant. I’m _so_ sorry. Yeah I’d – Yes. Yes, I’d like that.” She hides her face in her hands. “ _Oh Rao_ ,” she mumbles, before she feels one of her arms tugged free, and then a slight scratching. She peeks through her fingers at Lena, who’s pulled a pen out of _somewhere_ to scrawl something on her arm, smile back on her face.

She steps back when she’s done, Kara warily looking down to see that she’s written her phone number, along with a heart and the letter L, finding herself smiling back at her. “That’s alright. Text me, okay? We can set something up. I promise I’ll look better than _this_ ,” Lena says, scrunching her nose _(adorably)_ and rolling her eyes as she gestures self-deprecatingly at herself.

Kara frowns, offended that she could think Kara doesn’t like how she looks _right now_. “I don’t know how you possibly could – you’re already the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

Lena scoffs, but the color of her cheeks betrays her. “Alright, _charmer_ , don’t you have to get going? I thought you were running late.”

Kara looks down at her watch again, and her eyes go _wide_. She starts running towards the door, calling in a whisper-shout over her shoulder, “Thank you! I’ll text you!” _(and thus nearly running right into said door)_.

She’s halfway across campus when she realizes she never even told Lena her name. She nearly trips into a snowbank.


End file.
